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After losing twice to Indiana Wesleyan during the year, Grace’s women’s soccer team earned the final laugh on Saturday in the NCCAA Regional Final.

The Lady Lancers (7-7-5) advanced in a penalty kick shootout over IWU, hitting three of their first four PKs to secure a spot to the NCCAA Nationals.

Grace will play in its sixth straight national tournament, including five trips to Florida for NCCAA Nationals. The Lady Lancers were the national runners-up in their latest appearance in 2014.

“I’m super proud of the women’s futbol today. There were so many obstacles to overcome to be victorious, and they hurdled them all. We set out to live in good futbol, and they stayed the course,” said Grace head coach Michael Voss. “This team is hitting their stride and coming together. We’ve felt this momentum building, and it’s a joy to return to the NCCAA tournament. It suits us well.”

On a frosty evening, Grace outpaced the Wildcats (10-7-3) throughout the match. Overall, Grace held an 18-7 shot advantage over IWU.

The Lady Lancers’ defense held the Wildcats to just two shots in regulation. Grace, on the other hand, fired off 13 shots. Fortunately for the Wildcats, Grace could not convert on any of its chances.

Grace had an appeal for a penalty kick denied in the opening minutes of the game when Meredith Hollar appeared to be fouled in the box.

Midway into the half, Liz Van Wormer shook free for two good shots including one on goal.

In the second half, Grace amped up its attack even more. The Lady Lancers tried nine shots after halftime to no avail.

Hollar tried four shots in the second half but came up empty each time. Grace had to settle for a 0-0 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes.

In the first overtime period, Grace was the offensive aggressor again. Van Wormer tried two shots, and Joana Schimmeland Kristen Bellinger each had a shot on goal.

Neither team could score in the second overtime session, sending the game to a penalty shootout.

Voss sent two freshmen and a sophomore to take the first three PKs, and all three shots were converted. IWU, on the other hand, fired two of its first three shots off-target. The fifth shot from IWU sailed over the crossbar, and the Lancer fans charged onto IWU’s field to join the team’s celebration.

Hollar had five shots, and Van Wormer attempted four. Bellinger shot three times, and Schimmel had two.

Grace’s men’s soccer team celebrates its region championship on Saturday.

Grace’s men’s soccer team capped off a dramatic week of NCCAA soccer action by beating Indiana Wesleyan 2-0 on the road on Saturday.

The Lancers, after winning three matches in eight days, claimed the NCCAA Midwest Region crown to advance to the 2016 NCCAA National Championships in Kissimmee, Fla.

The regional title ends an improbable turnaround for Grace. The Lancers (10-7-3) finished the regular season in disappointing fashion in ninth place. But head coach Matt Hotchkin helped Grace flip the script of their season.

Grace defeated Lancaster Bible, Houghton and Indiana Wesleyan in the span of eight days, battling their way into an automatic bid to NCCAA Nationals. The national tournament in Florida runs from Nov. 28-Dec. 3.

“These guys have stepped it up in these last two weeks. They showed real grit to bounce back from a tough conference season that was plagued by injuries. Today, they showed what they are capable of,” Hotchkin said. “Our guys played with diligence and unity. We are really thankful for the second chance and opportunity to play for a national championship.”

To earn the trip to Florida, Grace had to defeat longtime nemesis IWU on its home field. The Lancers did so in impressive fashion, using goals from Nikola Djordjevic and Damon Binkley to dispatch the Wildcats (11-8-2).

Grace’s offense struggled to get on track in the first half. The Lancers only had two shots and zero corners; fortunately one of their shots found the back of the net.

Binkley created the first goal, beating IWU’s goalkeeper to a loose ball and playing a simple pass to Djordjevic in front of the net in the 40th minute.

Midway into the second half, the action picked up on both ends of the field. IWU had a shot that sailed just above the crossbar, but Djordjevic responded with a near-goal of his own that rolled wide of the net.

Grace grabbed control of the game for good in the 72nd minute. Binkley scored at the 71:34 mark for his fourth goal of the regional tournament.

The Wildcats were largely muted in the second half as Grace’s possession maintained control. IWU had two corner kicks in the last four minutes, but the Wildcats could not muster a shot attempt for the final 15:43 of the contest.

Friday evening’s men’s basketball game was a night to remember for Grace fans.

Records fell and a milestone was accomplished during the Lancers’ 113-90 victory over Grace Bible College in the Wyndham Garden Terry Polston Hoops for Hope.

Stephen Halstead broke his own program record with a dazzling display from deep. Halstead buried a record 11-of-17 from the 3-point line, the last of which gave the junior 35 points and sent the crowd at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center into a frenzy.

Grace’s NAIA Hall of Fame head coach Jim Kessler also won the 750th game of his legendary career on Friday night. He currently sits fourth among active NAIA Div. II men’s coaches for career wins.

The win moves the Lancers (7-1) into the championship game of the Hoops for Hope tourney on Saturday at 4 p.m.; Grace will be challenged for the title by No. 23 Rochester, who is a perfect 10-0 after defeating Lincoln Christian 93-55 earlier on Friday.

“I was pleased with our team. We’ve practiced well, and they played with passion tonight,” Kessler said in a postgame radio interview. “I’m extremely proud of the men’s effort tonight.”

The Tigers (4-3) never tasted the lead. The first half was back and forth except for two crucial runs by Grace.

The first run came 10 minutes into the game. With the score knotted 24-24, Halstead buried a triple—his fourth of the game—to spark a 10-0 run. Chad Hoffer scored four points during Grace’s run to give the Lancers a 10-point lead.

Halstead caught fire with five minutes left in the half. He buried a remarkable four 3-pointers in a 2:13 span to help Grace to a 17-point cushion.

Fortunately for Grace Bible, the Tigers’ offense rallied late in the half to cut the deficit to 55-44 at halftime.

Halstead drilled eight 3-pointers in the first half for 24 points. Braxton Linville was the setup man for many of Halstead’s triples, finishing with 10 assists in the first half.

The Tigers continued to answer most of Grace’s runs, even into the opening minutes of the second half; Grace Bible remained within striking distance at 69-61 with 13:30 on the clock.

Grace eventually put the game out of reach with a 15-3 run over the next four minutes. Jaret Sons bookended Grace’s spurt with a pair of 3-pointers as the Lancers opened up a 20-point cushion.

With the outcome essentially decided, the only remaining intrigue for the final minutes centered around Halstead. The junior tied his own program record with his 10th 3-pointer with 4:25 remaining.

Halstead brought the crowd to its feet with his 11th triple two minutes later. He pulled up at the top of the key and launched his record-breaking shot, which caught the front edge of the rim and fell gently off the glass into the net with 2:29 to play.

“My teammates and coaches put me in great positions to succeed, and I was able to knock down some open shots tonight. It was a great night for us,” Halstead said. “My teammates know when I’m in that zone to get me the ball. I give them a look to say, ‘Keep finding me because when it’s going, it’s going.'”

Halstead’s 35 points were one off his career high of 36. Sons scored 17 efficient points in 19 minutes, hitting 6-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Grace College’s director of the Center for Lakes and Streams Dr. Nate Bosch received a local community service award on Nov. 17 for his work through the center, as a professor at Grace and as an active individual in the Winona Lake community. The following is a story from Ink Free News.

Center for Lakes and Streams Director Dr. Nate Bosch was honored with the 2015 Bill Reneker Community Service Award at the annual Winona Lake Community Appreciation Dinner on Nov. 17.

The annual dinner brings together members of the Winona Lake community to celebrate the accomplishments and goals of the town, and to recognize people making an impact in Winona Lake.

The keynote speaker this year was Dr. Bosch, who was completely unaware of the award he would be given at the end of the night. Bosch spoke of the impact Winona Lake has on the town and the importance of taking care it. Winona Lake is the third largest financial contributor to Winona, falling only behind the orthopedic industry and the agriculture industry. Local lakes bring in $313 million in revenue to the community every year.

Dr. Bosch’s presentation gave the audience a background on how the lake operates, discussing how layers in a lake turnover, how nutrients cause plant growth and how that plant growth depletes oxygen within the water. He also presented a history of Winona Lake, talking about the amount of sediment that has built-up, the increase in algae and plant life, and how oxygen has been depleted from the lower layer and the negative impact that has on fish.

Grace College & Seminary partnered with Mission Point Community Church to sponsor the sixth-annual Supermarket Sweep on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at Owen’s Market in Warsaw. More than 500 students and many community members participated. Grace students raised $13,542 and the community raised $11,789 for a grand total of $25,331.

Supermarket Sweep was an opportunity for the community to give back. During the event, shoppers purchased non-perishable food and baby products. The items were packed and donated to local non-profit organizations. These included The Salvation Army, Combined Community Services, Our Father’s House and Heartline Pregnancy Center.

“I love this event because it shows that serving can be fun,” said Kearstin Criswell, director of student involvement at Grace. “More students participated than in previous years. It was great to see upperclassmen build momentum for first-year students.” During the event, the winners of challenges won gift cards, enabling them to purchase more items. “Students did crazy things for the gift cards,” said Criswell. “Shopping cart races and cupcake eating contests, to name a couple!”

Sponsors of this year’s Supermarket Sweep include Grace College & Seminary, Mission Point Church, PayProTec, Nextremity and Wildman Business Group. “We could not have done this without them,” said Criswell.

Another opportunity to support the community is coming soon. Grace College students welcome the community to Night Market on Friday, Dec. 9, from 2-9 p.m. in the Winona Heritage Room, 901 Park Ave, Winona Lake. This alternative Christmas shopping experience offers an assortment of unique, hand-made gifts from local vendors who share their proceeds with a variety of causes. More information will come soon.

Levi Stout, Grace College student, flips through a Bible at Truth Remains exhibit during Day of Worship.

On Thursday morning at Grace College, students flipped through the pages of Bibles twice as old as the United States.

As part of its annual “Day of Worship” chapel, Grace College partnered with Truth Remains, a ministry that travels to schools and churches across the United States to display some of the first Bibles in the English language.

“The purpose of Truth Remains, in its heart of hearts, is to honor God’s word,” said ministry founder, David Parsons. “We do that by telling the stories of these Bibles, specifically the men who bled and died so that English-speaking people could read the Bible in their mother tongue.”

After learning about their historical contexts, students freely flipped through the 16th and 17th-century Bibles. For many it made an unexpected impact.

“I had no idea about the sacrifices it took for the Bible to be brought to the English language,” said Joanna, a sophomore psychology major at Grace, “I access my Bible on my smartphone; seeing Bibles from the 16th century is amazing.”

Truth Remains and its valued collection of Bibles will make one more local appearance this week. The Bibles will be on display Sunday, Nov. 20, at Christ’s Covenant Church at the 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services.

Kirsten Mead of Powell, Ohio, spent last summer as a full-time intern in Bozeman, Mont., working on Greg Gianforte’s gubernatorial campaign. Mead, a junior studying political science, pre-law and English at Grace College, worked on the campaign’s fundraising team.

“I did whatever was needed,” Mead said. “Sometimes this meant spending eight hours of my nine-hour day making phone calls. Occasionally, it would translate to chatting with high-dollar donors during fundraisers.” Mead learned that campaigning is “far from glamorous” but found the experience intensely helpful. “It solidified my belief that politics is something I want to invest myself in professionally,” Mead said.

After graduation, Mead plans to pursue a career in lobbying. “But I’m excited to see what doors open in the political field,” Mead added. “I’m truly enthusiastic about the field as a whole and willing to pursue paths in any area of politics.”

Grace College is committed to graduating career-ready students. All students must complete at least 12 credit hours of applied learning such as study abroad, internship, student leadership, applied research and student teaching. Applied learning opportunities are designed to help students gain experience in the real world and refine their career choice.

“My education at Grace prepared me well for my experience in Montana,” Mead said. “Classroom discussions and texts helped me analyze the campaign rhetoric.” Mead recalls one exercise in particular led by instructor Jeff Grose in which she analyzed hypothetical demographics and classified people into political persuasions. “It was incredible to see how often these stereotypes held true on the Gianforte campaign, and also to discover factors that caused differentiation from the stereotypes,” she said. “People’s passions, careers, and experiences can move someone who should be an obvious conservative voter to support liberal candidates, and vice versa,” she continued.

The Grace College History & Political Science Department offers concentrations in history, political science and social studies. Minors include archeology, geography, museum studies and pre-law. Field experiences, such as Mead’s campaign internship, are strongly encouraged to supplement coursework and provide practical knowledge beyond the classroom.

For more information about the History & Political Science Department, contact Jared Burkholder, department chair, at burkhojs@grace.edu or call 574-372-5100, ext. 6006. Additional information can be found at www.grace.edu.

The annual Wyndham Garden Terry Polston Hoops for Hope Tournament will be played this weekend at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

This year’s tournament, hosted by Grace’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, features eight games over the weekend. Games will run from 2-10 p.m.on Friday and from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.on Saturday.

Admission to watch the games is $7 per day, and all proceeds will go to Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund (KCCCF). The tournament is sponsored by Wyndham Garden of Warsaw and the Warsaw Morning Optimist Club. All cancer survivors are welcome to attend the tournament free of charge. The tournament is also in remembrance of D.A.R.E. Officer Terry Polston, who succumbed to lung cancer after a nine-year battle.

“Our goal each year is to raise around $2,000. We want to raise money but also to raise awareness in the community,” said Grace’s men’s coach Jim Kessler. “We chose to channel our money to KCCCF rather than the Jimmy V Foundation like most other schools do because all of the money stays local to benefit the area. It’s been a neat thing for us to be involved with as a team.”

The women’s tournament is a classic format. Grace’s women’s basketball team will host Silver Lake on Friday6 p.m. in the nightcap. The Lady Lancers will then host NAIA Div. I No. 17 Pikeville on Saturday2 p.m.

The men’s tournament includes Grace Bible, Lincoln Christian and Rochester. Grace will play Grace Bible on Friday at 8 p.m. The winner will advance to the men’s championship game against the winner of Rochester/Lincoln Christian at 4 p.m.Saturday.

Grace Smith, a sophomore at Grace College from Fortville, Ind., was one of 31 college students honored at the annual “Realizing the Dream” banquet on Nov. 5 in Indianapolis. The event is organized by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), of which Grace College is a part. Each of the honorees is a sophomore student who has “realized the dream” to be the first in his or her family to attend college.

The 27th annual event was made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to ICI to recognize successful first-generation college students and families. One student was selected by each of the 31 independent colleges in Indiana for outstanding achievement during their freshman year. Each honoree received a $2,500 check to help with college costs. Additionally, each student’s selected “most influential” teacher or mentor received a $1,000 professional development grant.

One out of every three students on ICI campuses is first-generation. Generous financial aid provided by the institutions combined with state and federal grants, makes a private college education a possibility for all Hoosier students, including Smith.

When asked why she chose to attend Grace College, Smith said “Ultimately, it was the invested professors I met while visiting, the beautiful campus and the free book rentals that led to my choice.” And, she said “I truly felt the Lord calling me here. I couldn’t be happier with all He has done in my time at Grace thus far.”

Smith has assumed several roles at Grace College since beginning her college career in 2015. Most prominently, she is a Student Activities Board officer and a small group leader in her dorm. “Grace is a stand-out leader on campus,” said Kearstin Criswell, director of student involvement at Grace College. “She demonstrates courage and authenticity as she leads other women and models academic achievement on campus.”

Grace said she was shocked and honored when she received the news that she would receive the scholarship. “It was rewarding to see that my efforts have not been overlooked, and incredibly humbling to have been chosen considering how many brilliant student leaders there are on campus,” she said. Smith credits her parents for much of her success up to this point. “Although my parents did not attend college, they have always encouraged and prodded me to work hard so that I could attend college one day,” Smith continued. “I would not be where I am today without their love and support,” Smith added. “I am beyond thankful.”

Criswell, along with Mrs. Kim Davis, language and literature teacher at Heritage Christian High School, accompanied Smith to the “Realizing the Dream” banquet on Nov. 5. “It was an honor to represent Grace College and celebrate Grace Smith’s accomplishments at the banquet,” Criswell said. “We are very proud of Grace and are fortunate to have her on campus,” she concluded.

Grace College & Seminary is pleased to announce that its partnership with Lutheran Health Network Kosciusko Community Hospital (KCH) is expanding. Grace and KCH have collaborated on various health-related initiatives for many years; however, this new KCH sponsorship is a 10-year agreement that includes ongoing support to Grace for health education, wellness, academics, athletic programs and other projects.

“The purpose of this commitment is to improve the health and wellness of community members whom we serve locally through Kosciusko Community Hospital, MedStat Urgent Care and Occupational Health, our affiliated medical staff and KCH Regional Rehabilitation Center,” said Kirk Ray, CEO of Kosciusko Community Hospital. “The agreement demonstrates a commitment from both entities to have a unified long-term vision for improving the health of Grace College & Seminary students, faculty and staff.”

For many years, KCH Regional Rehabilitation Center has served student athletes through athletic training. Training will continue to be offered and sports medicine services will be enhanced to Grace College through the term.

KCH’s Optimal Performance Sports program will provide student athletes with tailored performance enhancement services as an extension of Grace’s coaching staff. Sports performance services can include injury prevention training, bridging post-surgery gap with return to sport training, on-site training for coaches on proper technique and latest research, complimentary training for teams on-site, and strength conditioning. Additionally, a student health nurse will be provided to the institution.

“One of the primary ways Grace College & Seminary effectively and efficiently serves its students, faculty and staff is through the support and partnership of organizations that provide our campus with their expertise,” said Grace College & Seminary President Dr. Bill Katip. “We’re thankful for the ongoing support of KCH and are grateful for how they are extending and expanding their support to our students. We’ll be stronger for it.”